As we have mentioned previously, in addition to having experienced this issue for ourselves, we’ve heard from many parents asking and giving advice about how to instill and explain the idea of going green to a child – especially when it comes to green gift-giving. After looking all the possible green topics over, we decided on what we considered the best ideas for teaching kids about green, fair trade and eco-friendly gifts (the criteria being that the idea was either incredibly easy to do or was something that a parent & child could have a ton of fun doing). We had so many ideas we decided to make it a blog series on growing green kids. If you missed the first three growing green kids blogs, click here to read them in our archives. Be sure to check back with us soon for more fabulous green ideas for you and your kids!
Hopefully it will inspire your green enthusiasm as much as it did us!
GROWING UP IN A GREEN WORLD
Remember, the more your kids enjoy exploring the natural green world around them, the more interested they will be in taking care of it. Here is the fourth in our series about growing green kids! We hope you enjoy it!
Here is a top five count down of easy, inexpensive green ways to spark your child’s imagination and awareness of our most precious resource: the earth!
5. What’s on the shelf?
Check out what’s on your child’s toy boxes and book shelves! Toys that help kids relate to nature are a fantastic way to teach and inspire about being green. Everyone has a teddy bear… but what about stuffed animals (made with eco-friendly fabrics of course) that depict more exotic creatures which will encourage a sense of curiosity in your child for this big, beautiful world? Our most popular children’s toy is a set of handmade finger puppets of animals from the rainforest. Not only do they provide endless hours of creative fun, they also introduce different species of animals, and give instant exposure to one of the world’s most preciously green places. The puppets were so popular GGN started carrying a picture book about the rain forest called: Over in the Jungle: A Rainforest Rhyme Book (Sharing Nature with Children)
Over in the Jungle
as well so kids could read about the animals they were playing with. Books are an instant way to transport your child and open up their world to all kinds of green concepts… and the library is free! My family loves the library — this is a truly green resource our towns, states, and country possess and we need to treasure it as well! WHY is it green??
Side note to the library & green kids: Library books are reused over and over while the books in your home are only useful while the child is interested in the subject matter. Not only does a trip to the library cut down less trees for printing, it’s also a great way to encourage them to donate things when they are finished with them for someone else to enjoy which also teaches them to share!
4. Look out the window!
As long as you don’t have an outdoor cat, a bird feeder is a great way to watch nature. There are many great organic seeds that will attract a variety to your back yard. Even squirrels provide ample entertainment (although some can be pesky). Keep a set of child-sized binoculars by the window, and your child will naturally be curious to observe the birds. If your child is artistic, keep a pad of paper nearby and encourage sketching. Even if you don’t have a backyard, well, heck! Even urban cities have birds… yes, we count pigeons thank you very much!
3. Watch something grow!
Watching something develop from a seed is not only fun to watch and track, but it helps kids connect to the earth. Suddenly their food comes from the earth, not the grocer. Suddenly the tree commands awe and respect, instead of being just another fixture in the lawn. If you can’t plant a tree or if you don’t have time or room for a garden, grab a flower pot and some seed and voila!
2. Explain what organic really means!
Here’s a great way to teach Children’s Pesticide 101:
Take a glass of tap water and add a few drops of blue food coloring. Explain to your child that the blue color represents chemicals and pesticides that are often found in the water we use in our gardens. Cut a stalk of celery and place it in the water. Within a few days, you’ll see how chemicals are systemically absorbed in our veggies – and are not something you can just wash off!
Drum roll please…. Our number one idea for growing green kids:
And Lastly …1. Talk about where food comes from!
I was watching a terrifying tv show last year where a first grade teacher was showing her class a head of broccoli, carrots, and other vegetables… and none of the kids had a clue what they were because none of them had seen those vegetables in their original, just out of the ground state. Please! Don’t let that kid be your kid!
Your community has a local farmer. If you’ve never met them, check listings for your local farmer’s market and make it a “green routine” family outing! Kids will enjoy talking to farmers who grew their food as much as the proud farmer will enjoy talking about it! The visits will teach them a lot about where food comes from and how it is produced. Farmers’ markets often have family-friendly activities that kids will enjoy, such as live music, food tasting, and green activities such as gardening or worm composting demonstrations. It will also empower your kids to help you select healthy, locally-grown food for your family, and give them the ability to recognize a head of broccoli when they see one that isn’t drowning in cheese.
Comments are welcome and appreciated! We’d love for you to let us know if you have any other great green ideas for easy, inexpensive and fun was to grow green kids!
After all, it’s their green planet too!
Pesticide Trick and Bird Watching Sections are suggestions we found which are Copyright © 2011 Eco-Logics, Inc.
